Robyn Jackson Wells is the Streetlight Division Manager at the District Department of Transportation. Currently, she is a leading a team of technical professionals through the District of Columbia's first Public-Private-Partnership to implement the DC Smart Streetlighting Project.
The District Department of Transportation’s mission is to equitably deliver a safe, sustainable and reliable multimodal transportation network for all residents and visitors of the District of Columbia. In May of 2022 DDOT embarked on a District-wide smart streetlight conversion in partnership with Plenary Americas, ENGIE North America, and EQUANS to design, finance, install, and manage the upgrades of the entire streetlight network in the District of Columbia.
The District has more than 75,000 lights installed on its streets, alleys and other public spaces. The lights use a variety of inefficient bulb technologies, including incandescent and high-pressure sodium. The District, through this P3, is modernizing its streetlights by converting them to LED with remote monitoring and control capabilities. The improved lighting will improve safety and advance the District’s Vision Zero goals, while reducing streetlight energy consumption by more than 50 percent, eliminating 38,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. The project started in May 2022, with expected completion in May 2024.